NOVEMBER 2025
der zamler
JPL’S ARCHIVES AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS NEWSLETTER
JPL Archives staff talking shop with Carel Khoury of the Montreal Holocaust Museum at a recent visit to the Museum Collections Centre.
Happy Jewish Book Month
A special shout out to all the amazing Jewish authors held in our collections. Didn’t know it was JBM? Don’t know what it is? Read this month’s blog post to learn about its history!
Our Archives team recently took the opportunity to tour the Montreal Holocaust Museum’s offsite location at the Museum Collections Centre. Registrar and Acquisitions Manager Carel Khoury and Museum Technician Sara Juneau had thoughtfully selected highlight items relevant to our own collections, and generously explained to us many of the tricks they had developed in creating custom housing for priceless items. It’s always a pleasure to visit with other professionals in our field to discuss common challenges and innovative solutions!
Aside from that adventure, everyone in the archives has been working away on the usual backlog of processing materials, preparing for outreach projects, and welcoming researchers in our reference room. It’s been a focused and fulfilling autumn so far.
Two of the fall and winter globes made by young JPL patrons at our most recent special Tuesday night event, October 28, 2025.
October’s special Collage Club event had our young patrons making fall and winter globes inspired by images in our archives. For the fall globes, they punched out miniature leaves from real leaves found on our Jewish Community Campus! November’s edition will involve printing on drawstring bookbags, which is bound to be a great time for the teens.
Upcoming Events
Can Posters Kill?
How words became weapons in the Second World War
NEW DATE: Tuesday, December 2nd, 2025, 6:30-8:30pm
Hybrid: Segal Centre for Performing Arts and on Zoom
Starting at $5 | Created for teens, Open to all |
English Event | Registration Required
Join the Jewish Public Library Archives for a special one-night-only exhibition and author talk featuring Can Posters Kill? — the powerful new book by Jerry Faivish with Kathryn Cole, published by Second Story Press. By decoding how images and words are used to spread hate, readers learn how to spot and resist manipulation—a vital skill in today’s fast-moving digital world.
🗣️ Author Talk
Author Jerry Faivish will be joined by Dr. Ula Madej-Krupitski for a thought-provoking conversation about how propaganda shaped the Second World War—and how those same tactics still influence the way we think and communicate today.
🎨 Exhibition
Explore the Art Lounge at the Segal Centre, where you’ll see striking posters from Jerry’s personal collection, along with rare materials from the JPL Archives, the Montreal Holocaust Museum, and the Dora Wasserman Yiddish Theatre. Reserved for in-person ticket holders only.
💭 About the Book
Can Posters Kill? asks a haunting question: how did Hitler and the Nazi Party convince millions that genocide was justified? Through rare and historic posters, the book takes readers on a visual journey from early antisemitic imagery to the deadly propaganda of Nazi Germany. Books will be available for purchase thanks to Bertrand Bookstore.
Tuesday Night Special:
JPL Collage Club in the Archives
Tuesday, November 25, 2025, 6pm-7pm
Jewish Public Library Archives (basement level)
Free | Open to Youth aged 11-25
Special Tuesday night programs are back! Join us for a kosher dinner at 5:30PM, followed by a crafting and movie night in the Archives at 6PM. Join Ezell for a screening of Spy Kids and participate in a special workshop. Decorate your own drawstring bookbag to take home!
JPL Collage Club in the Archives
September-December Sundays 2pm-4pm
Jewish Public Library Archives (basement level)
Free | Open to Youth aged 11-25
Come get cozy and collage with Ezell in the JPL Archives! We're drawing inspiration from some of the incredible photographs in our collection. All collage materials provided, plus snacks and themed film screenings. Feel free to bring your own craft. Registration is encouraged as seating is limited.
Current exhibition
The Life and Activism of Léa Roback
November 1, 2025 - February 1 2026
Jewish Public Library, across from circulation desk
Léa Roback (1903-2000) was born in Montréal to a Jewish family of Polish origin. Raised in Beauport, Québec, she attended university in Grenoble and Berlin in the late 1920s. In Germany, Nazism was on the rise and Roback became keenly politicized; she joined demonstrations with students and trade unionists, and became part of the communist movement that spearheaded the anti-fascist struggle.
Back in Montreal as of 1932, Roback was committed to workers’ rights and women’s rights, where her gift of languages played a pivotal role in trade union success. Later in her life, her support grew to many other causes, including the intersections of where these causes overlap. She was a consistent voice against police violence, and was staunchly anti-nuclear and anti-apartheid. She was an abortion and peace activist who fought for the rights of visible minorities, including the land rights of Indigenous communities.
Youth Workbook
The Norman Berman Children's Library has put on another exhibition of their own for Jewish Book Month for the 2025 Fall/Winter Season! Our second instalment of the workbook (French | English) offers similar activities, however, you may notice the answer page absent--youth are encouraged to turn in their workbook for a chance to win a Léa Roback tote bag in honour of the Archives' newest in-house exhibition, The Life and Activism of Léa Roback.
Léa Roback Tote Bags: limited edition
We’ve made our first batch of Archives merch! Donations of $20 or more are eligible for our limited edition Léa Roback tote bag, available in blue and maroon. Be sure to visit circulation while supplies last!
Jewish Book Month Youth display
Our tiniest patrons have left their model train set and turned library books into the walls of their own gallery. The exhibition they’ve put together feature images from our very own JPL Archives.
Jewish Book Month display case collaboration between the NBCL and the JPL Archives.
FOR THE RECORD:
A blog about all things JPL Archives
Zachary Baker, left and Naomi Caruso, right, with their Dreyfusiana exhibition and the official poster for Jewish Book Month, 1982. JPL Archives, Photograph Collection, ID: 1255-[83-008]-PR000392.
The History of Jewish Book Month
Did you know that it’s the first week of Jewish Book Month? What is JBM, and how do we celebrate it? Find out more in this month’s blog post.
Der zamler is a Yiddish term meaning “the collector” and is related to the verb zamlen, which means “to gather.” In using this name, we join a long history of people dedicated to gathering and preserving Jewish culture around the world. A heartfelt thank-you goes to Sam Bick for the initial idea and to Anna Fishman Gonshor for providing the cultural context.
All non-archival photography, unless otherwise credited, by staff of the JPL Archives.
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